Archive for the ‘Friendships’ Category
Friday, December 29th, 2006
This entry is the 11th and final in a series that begins here. For the full effect, click on “Continue Reading” below, find the music player, and play the song while reading the lyrics.
Story Background: In this scene, Glinda and Elphaba, whose friendship has been severely tested, find a way to see beyond their issues, feel their mutual love, and come to appreciate the role that each has played in the other’s spiritual development.
Parallels to My Story: I think this song speaks for itself, but I will say a few, short things:
- Anger clearly has its place in the disaffected Mormon’s journey, but only as a temporary place, I believe, and only in proper proportion. We disaffected Mormons are not the only people in the world to have been disappointed–by faith, by family, by work and by country. I’m realizing more and more each day that learning to deal constructively with deep disappointment is not a Mormon thing — it is a human thing. And we all must work very, very hard get over our anger and disappointment as quickly as we can–or life will pass us by.
- So many of the disaffected LDS folks I’ve met develop deep contempt for both the church, and its remaining members. Most of these friends also would openly acknowledge 2 things: 1) that they were once TBMs just like the rest, and 2) that they benefited TREMENDOUSLY from their LDS affiliation in both childhood and early adulthood. In my mind, our feelings towards the church should be ambivalent at worst. Most of us disaffected should feel some sorrow, but also some seriously deep gratitude for the positive role the church has played in our lives.
- Finally, a wise person once said, “What doesn’t kill us, makes us stronger.” I know that I have been changed “for the better” (as the song says) by my affiliation with Mormonism–and the trick for all of us, I believe, is to develop a zen-like, balanced perspective on the church, and the role that it both has played, and will play in our lives.
I hereby challenge all of my DAMU friends to work very hard to get to the place emotionally that this song conveys: a place of understanding, peace, and even love for the role the LDS church has played (and likely will continue to play–at some level) in our lives. It will be hard, to be sure, but it may be one of the most important things we ever do.
I must end by saying that in a very deep and meaningful way (for me), I have been changed for the better by all of you…my Internet Mormon friends. Thanks for letting me be a small part of your world (all 3 of you who made it this far)–and thanks for being such an important part of mine. I love you all. 
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Posted in Audio, Check this out, Culture, DAMU, Family, Friendships, Hope, LDS, Mormon, Mormons, Music, Spiritual Thoughts, Video, Wicked | 3 Comments »
Saturday, December 23rd, 2006
This entry is 10th in a series that begins here. For the full effect, click on “Continue Reading” below, find the music player, and play the song while reading the lyrics.
Story Background: In this scene, Glinda is elevated by Madame Morrible to celebrity status among the citizens of Oz. Ironically, it is also the scene where she loses the love of her life, Fiyero, to Elphaba (those of you really following will note that this song is out of order from theprevious song. Sorry about that.).
But the powerful parts of the song for me are threefold:
- The part where Madame Morrible re-writes history about Elphaba, making her seem evil to the citizens of Oz (think William Law). “Good” must always have an enemy, even if it has to create one.
- The subsequent sequence, where the citizens take the re-writing of the history, and add their own exaggerations to it, making Elphaba more and more evil (think of us “adulterers” in the DAMU), and
- Perhaps the most important part of all — the stark contrast between the “Celebration” that Glinda wants to provide to her people (think General Conference and MoTab Choir concerts), vs. the candor that she reveals towards the end about living this somewhat sheltered, less than totally authentic life (think of depression among some TBMs):
The most powerful lines (for me) being (again–describing the cost of being an uninformed TBM):
(sung) ‘Cause getting your dreams
It’s strange, but it seems
A little – well – complicated
There’s a kind of a sort of : cost
There’s a couple of things get: lost
There are bridges you cross
You didn’t know you crossed
Until you’ve crossed…
And if that joy, that thrill
Doesn’t thrill you like you think it will
Still -
With this perfect finale
The cheers and ballyhoo
Who
Wouldn’t be happier?
So I couldn’t be happier
Because happy is what happens
When all your dreams come true
Well, isn’t it?
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Posted in Audio, Check this out, Culture, Family, Friendships, History, LDS, Mormon, Mormons, Music, Religion, Wicked | Comments Off
Thursday, December 21st, 2006
This entry is 9th in a series that begins here. For the full effect, click on “Continue Reading” below, find the music player, and play the song while reading the lyrics.
Story Background: As events spiral out of control, Elphaba tries to use her magical powers to make things better. Unfortunately, each time she tries to fix things, she is blamed for making things worse. When something bad happens to Fiyero (Elphaba’s love), Elphaba becomes discouraged and begins in a sense to own the reputation that has been thrust upon her.
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Posted in Audio, Check this out, Culture, DAMU, Family, Friendships, LDS, Leadership, Mormon, Mormons, Music, Wicked | 6 Comments »
Thursday, December 21st, 2006
Apparently I have an “Atheological Tendency” (3rd quote down from the top).
Guilty as charged.
Posted in Check this out, Culture, Family, Friendships, LDS, Mormon, Mormons, Religion, Spiritual Thoughts, Theology | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, December 20th, 2006
This entry is 8th in a series that begins here. For the full effect, click on “Continue Reading” below, find the music player, and play the song while reading the lyrics.
Story Background: Here we see the Wizard’s softer side, and learn that he got swept up (like Glinda) in the glamor of attention. We learn that in his own way, he had (at least in part) noble intentions to help the citizens of Oz. Along w/ the allure of power and security, it’s clear he felt that the ends somewhat justified the means. Thus the deception of the veil.
The program notes also claim, “He holds out the promise to Elphaba that, with him, she can fulfill her subconscious longing to be accepted by a fatherly figure.” I can’t necessarily relate to that part of it, but maybe some of you can.
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Posted in Audio, Check this out, Christianity, Culture, DAMU, Entertainment, Friendships, History, Internet, LDS, Leadership, Life, Media, Mormon, Mormons, Music, Politics, Religion, Wicked | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, December 20th, 2006
This entry is 7th in a series that begins here. For the full effect, click on “Continue Reading” below, find the music player, and play the song while reading the lyrics.
Story Background: Glinda (she got renamed) would like to see Elphaba conform and also realize her dream as expressed in “The Wizard and I.” But when Elphaba discovers that the Wizard is behind the mistreatment of animals, she must change her dream. She takes a stand. This is her moment when she resolves to follow her new conviction based on her inner moral sense and care for Dr. Dillamond, even though it means social rejection.
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Posted in Audio, Check this out, Christianity, Culture, DAMU, Entertainment, Excommunication, Family, Friendships, Hope, Internet, LDS, Life, Mormon, Mormons, Music, Religion, Wicked | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, December 13th, 2006
This entry is 4th in a series that begins here. or the full effect, click on “Continue Reading” below, find the music player, and play the song while reading the lyrics.
Story Background: This song is 100% plain, pure fun. After the big dance, Elphaba and Galinda become friends. One evening, Galinda offers to help make Elphaba more “popular.” As you may gather, Galinda is a tad bit self-absorbed, and prideful. This scene sets up Elphaba’s eventual rejection of popularity for the sake of principles.
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Posted in Audio, Check this out, Entertainment, Friendships, LDS, Life, Mormon, Music, Wicked | 8 Comments »
Tuesday, December 12th, 2006
This entry is 3rd in a series that begins here. For the full effect, click on “Continue Reading” below, find the music player, and play the song while reading the lyrics.
Story Background: A flunk-out from various other colleges, Prince Fiyero struts his stuff when he shows up at Shiz and introduces his philosophy “Dancing Through Life.” In this song sequence, we are introduced to parts of the love triangles in the story: Nessarose (Elphaba’s handicapped sister) longs for the attention of the munchkin Boq (pronounced “Buck”), who himself has been stricken with the charm of the unreachable Galinda (who calls him Bick, Bock…anything but Buck).
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Posted in Audio, Check this out, Culture, Entertainment, Friendships, LDS, Life, Mormon, Music, Religion, Spiritual Thoughts, Wicked | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, December 12th, 2006
This entry is 2nd in a series that begins here. For the full effect, click on “Continue Reading” below, find the music player, and play the song while reading the lyrics.
Story Background: Galinda is the most beautiful, rich and popular girl at Shiz (she also becomes Glinda the “Good” witch at the end of Wicked). Anyway, due to a series of unfortunate events, Galinda is assigned Elphaba as a roommate. They basically represent polar opposites. Galinda is about appearance, popularity–and shallowness. Elphaba represents intelligence, “truth to power”, and the unpopular. This song is about how they felt when they first met. More background on the writing of the song here.
Parallels to My Story: In many ways, I was Elphaba growing up. Because of the divorce, we didn’t have much money, so I could never compete on clothes and appearance. I was super tall and skinny, and not very fashionable to say the least. Also, growing up Mormon in a heavily baptist town isn’t very helpful (the local Baptist church held an annual seminar called “Mormons and other cults)”. I know–”Boo hoo.” Anyway, I also possessed a very high degree of righteous indignation for the “Wicked” around me–those who drank, smoked, did drugs and had sex….and who weren’t Mormon. I truly felt myself superior to them, and in many ways, pitied them. All of them.
Anyway, it’s a stretch, but if anything, this will help you some w/ character development of the relationship between Galinda and Elphaba. It’s also too fun a song to not include.
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Posted in Audio, Check this out, Culture, Entertainment, Friendships, LDS, Life, Mormon, Music, Wicked | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, December 6th, 2006
Most of you don’t know this, but my brother, Joel, is Chief Information Officer (CIO — or head computer guy) of the LDS Church. He just started a new blog called “LDS CIO”, which you can find here.
Joel and I are close, and we don’t let our divergent views/perspectives/approaches to the church get in the way of that closeness. He’s definitely a TBM, but he has love and understanding for other points of view, which is why we are able to remain close.
He’s also super duper smart and fun.
I am proud of him.
P.S. Those of you in the DAMU–be nice to him, or I’ll kick your a$%es!!!
Posted in Check this out, Family, Friendships, Internet, LDS, Mormon, Religion, Technology | 7 Comments »